Business Climate Tag

U.S. presidential elections are a marathon, not a sprint, and this race has been exceptionally grueling—both for the candidates and the public at large. But more concerned than the average U.S. citizen are small business owners, who have responded to the uncertainty by delaying new...

Stalled growth, disappearing jobs and a sense of foreboding are the defining characteristics of today’s economy. So, what or who is to blame? According to one theorist, the process of “creative destructions,” whereby the death of one business or industry gives rise to another, is...

2015 was a picture-perfect year for construction, a banner year for the post-recession. Yet in 2016, many contractors in the United States are struggling to find financing for construction projects. The lack of financing has been a reality even over the past several years with the...

The US manufacturing sector weakened throughout 2015 as the dollar strengthened and made US exports more expensive overseas. Manufacturing activity increased in February, but it remained below the 12-month average. New orders remained positive in January and February, buoyed by increased consumer spending. Though consumer...

Between plummeting oil prices and a global growth slowdown, the United States economy ended 2015 with a dip — but January's spending figures and new data on the previous quarter suggest that American consumers are brushing off the jitters. This is heartening news for small...

An increasing number of economists and corporate leaders say the risk of the U.S. dipping into a recession is rising. More than anything, they have pointed to the global growth slowdown and convulsions in financial markets. According to the Wall Street Journal’s monthly survey of economists,...

Real estate investors are betting, perhaps mistakenly, that the six-year trend of rising rents in luxury urban apartment units will continue. Likewise, developers are hoping it will be worth their time, and money, to continue building them. According to research conducted by Axiometrics Inc., developers...

There’s a great deal of uncertainty in the market right now. The Fed has already increased their target short-term rate from 0.25% to 0.5%, and they’re planning on increasing it incrementally throughout 2016. In recent years, online platforms like LendingClub Corp. and Prosper Marketplace, Inc....

The last seven years have been painful for consumers, homeowners, small business owners—indeed for all Americans. The financial crisis of 2007-2008 was the worst economic downturn in the United States since the Great Depression in the 1930s. It was caused by a number of factors,...

Since June of 2014, oil prices have declined by over 40% causing the US dollar to surge in value against most other currencies throughout the world. This may have had a negative impact on the oil patch and US exporters, but it is creating greater...